1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to monitoring network transactions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring an online identity of a user on a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The internet and the World Wide Web (“web”) have become available to a large amount of people of different age, background, and type. Since accessing the web has become common among children, parents have become concerned about their children's transactions with strangers. Parents have continuously tried to protect their children from external temptations and unsuitable transactions available over the Internet. Notably, parents are being warned to monitor any public online presence of their children (referred to as an “online identity”). A child may create and maintain an online identity through a social networking site, such as MYSPACE, XANGA, FACEBOOK, WINDOWS LIVE SPACES, ORKUT, BEBO, FRIENDSTER, FACEPARTY, and the like. A child may also create and maintain an online identity using other mechanisms, such as blogs, message boards, and the like. Using such an online identity, a child is able to contact individuals across the world, participate in transactions, chat, meet new people, and the like, all of which without parental supervision and, in many cases, without parental knowledge. The vast number of social network sites, message boards, blogs, and the like make it difficult for parents to know what to monitor in order to protect their children. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a method and apparatus for monitoring creation of an online identity by a user, such as a child.